Africans rising

Somali social rights activist Ilwad Elman has been nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. The Prize honours persons who have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses.

Torpout Nyarikjor, an engineering student at Dilla University in southern Ethiopia has invented a malaria detection device. The “Tor” which is the name of the device, uses lasers to ascertain infection in the blood and is 70% accurate.

Luis Munana is one of the creative personalities highlighted in the 2019 Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list. The former Big Brother contestant is the co- founder and host of Voigush Africa and creative director of Namibia’s first original animated cartoon and puppet show “Waka Waka Moo”.

An African counterpart for Apple Inc’s virtual assistant, Siri, that focuses on banking and financial management, and speaks four of South Africa’s official languages, is breaking ground on the continent. A group of University of Cape Town (UCT) students are behind the novel idea.

She Writes Woman is a platform founded by Hauwa Ojeifo, which aims to raise awareness about mental illnesses in Nigeria and give people struggling with mental health a voice. She is the only Nigerian female recipient of the Queen’s Young Leaders award and is one of the 2019 Obama Foundation Leaders.

Designed by Richard Morris Hunt and completed in 1902, the American Metropolitan Museum of Art’s facade features four niches intended to house free-standing sculptures. 117 years later this intention has been fulfilled by Kenyan contemporary artist Wangechi Mutu with an installation dubbed, “The NewOnes, will free Us”